It is useful in biological research and other endeavors to create 3D volume images of tissue blocks using images of histological sections created by slicing target tissue blocks. Conventionally, the process of making such 3D volume images is a time-consuming process that requires a skilled technician to manually order the sections and to manually resolve problems that often occur during section processing and handling, such as tissue damage and mounting sections improperly (e.g., by flipping and/or rotating).
Biological researchers are beginning to assemble tissue block atlases, such as the Allen Mouse Brain atlas, to aid in studies of experimental tissue blocks. These atlases help experimental researchers identify anatomical structures of interest within the tissue blocks they are examining. However, using tissue block atlases is currently largely a painstaking manual process that requires experimental researchers to manually match images of their histological sections to the appropriate regions within the relevant tissue block atlas by visually comparing features within their histological section images to images of various regions within the tissue block atlas to estimate a match.